Prime Minister announces new curfew hours amid rise in COVID cases

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced changes to the current COVID-19 containment measures, as the country continues to see a rise in new cases.

Effective tomorrow, February 10, the island-wide curfew will commence at 8 p.m and end at 5 a.m, daily.

This new curfew will be in effect until February 24, 2021.

The announcement was made in Parliament a short while ago.

Public gatherings have also been reduced from 15 to 10 people.

"If we don't act now, we could overwhelm the health system," Holness said.

He added that the Government will adjust the restrictions once the COVID cases decrease.

Holness stated that a ticketing legislation for violation of curfew hours and quarantine orders will be brought before Parliament in the upcoming weeks.

On Monday, Jamaica recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period, with 403 cases recorded from 1,935 samples tested in the last 24 hours.

We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on twitter @JamaicaStar, and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar.